Kenny POLI 2051 Exam 2 Questions with
100% Correct Answers | Rated A+
public opinion - ✔✔the collected attitudes of citizens on a given issue or
question
why is public opinion important? - ✔✔In a democracy, there must be a link
between what the public thinks and what the government does -- the nature
of this link can vary greatly
who is most interested in public opinion? - ✔✔elected officials: public
opinion may influence government decision making
academics: seek to understand why people behave the way that they do
the people: may be motivated to become active in politics
Is the public capable of governing? How would you know? - ✔✔Surveys
show that people:
○ Are not very interested in politics
○ Are ignorant of much that goes on politically
○ Rely heavily on cues/shortcuts rather than informed issue positions
■ Endorsements, political polls, trusted individuals
1
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
,political socialization - ✔✔a complex process through which individuals
become aware of politics , learn political facts, and form political values.
(develop a party attachment, nature vs. nurture)
we learn these things and they occur throughout our lives (socialization) -
✔✔generational effects, life cycle effects, period effects
generational effects - ✔✔specific age group uniquely affected by set of
historical events (ex. vietnam and great depression)
life cycle effects - ✔✔political views are influenced by maturation (ex.
young people are less politically engaged)
period effects - ✔✔historical events affect everyone (ex. 9/11)
agents of socialization - ✔✔family, community and peers, school, mass
media
family - ✔✔*strongest influence on individuals
-you learn partisan identification from your parents
-you can't ask people directly what their party is, but you can ask them
what party their parents are (strongest predictor)
community and peers - ✔✔have a powerful influence, even into adulthood
- the idea of peer pressure -- we live in certain neighborhoods, churches,
groups
2
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
, school - ✔✔teaches you importance of voting, civic education, being a
good citizen, patriotism, authority figures; teaches you respect for existing
social orders
- doesn't always teach you the same things family does
mass media - ✔✔can have an influence due to opinions that are found in
pop culture/ music
our behavior may be based on our _______. - ✔✔biology
how do we know what public opinion is? - ✔✔we have to guess, but now
we do polls
the statistical theory of sampling - ✔✔a sample of individuals selected by
chance from any population is representative of that population
what determines the accuracy of a poll? - ✔✔the way the sample is
selected, the size of the sample, the way the survey is put together
question wording - ✔✔○ Survey responses on "welfare" vs. "assisting the
poor"
○ Leading questions → respondents are led to select on a particular
position; other responses are set-up to seem undesirable or wrong
○ Social desirability
○ Question clarity
3
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
100% Correct Answers | Rated A+
public opinion - ✔✔the collected attitudes of citizens on a given issue or
question
why is public opinion important? - ✔✔In a democracy, there must be a link
between what the public thinks and what the government does -- the nature
of this link can vary greatly
who is most interested in public opinion? - ✔✔elected officials: public
opinion may influence government decision making
academics: seek to understand why people behave the way that they do
the people: may be motivated to become active in politics
Is the public capable of governing? How would you know? - ✔✔Surveys
show that people:
○ Are not very interested in politics
○ Are ignorant of much that goes on politically
○ Rely heavily on cues/shortcuts rather than informed issue positions
■ Endorsements, political polls, trusted individuals
1
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
,political socialization - ✔✔a complex process through which individuals
become aware of politics , learn political facts, and form political values.
(develop a party attachment, nature vs. nurture)
we learn these things and they occur throughout our lives (socialization) -
✔✔generational effects, life cycle effects, period effects
generational effects - ✔✔specific age group uniquely affected by set of
historical events (ex. vietnam and great depression)
life cycle effects - ✔✔political views are influenced by maturation (ex.
young people are less politically engaged)
period effects - ✔✔historical events affect everyone (ex. 9/11)
agents of socialization - ✔✔family, community and peers, school, mass
media
family - ✔✔*strongest influence on individuals
-you learn partisan identification from your parents
-you can't ask people directly what their party is, but you can ask them
what party their parents are (strongest predictor)
community and peers - ✔✔have a powerful influence, even into adulthood
- the idea of peer pressure -- we live in certain neighborhoods, churches,
groups
2
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
, school - ✔✔teaches you importance of voting, civic education, being a
good citizen, patriotism, authority figures; teaches you respect for existing
social orders
- doesn't always teach you the same things family does
mass media - ✔✔can have an influence due to opinions that are found in
pop culture/ music
our behavior may be based on our _______. - ✔✔biology
how do we know what public opinion is? - ✔✔we have to guess, but now
we do polls
the statistical theory of sampling - ✔✔a sample of individuals selected by
chance from any population is representative of that population
what determines the accuracy of a poll? - ✔✔the way the sample is
selected, the size of the sample, the way the survey is put together
question wording - ✔✔○ Survey responses on "welfare" vs. "assisting the
poor"
○ Leading questions → respondents are led to select on a particular
position; other responses are set-up to seem undesirable or wrong
○ Social desirability
○ Question clarity
3
©NINJANERD 2025/2026. YEAR PUBLISHED 2025.
